Ayn Rand Institute: Expelled Gets an F

“Intelligent design advocates will do anything to advance their views–except science.

“The reason for that is simple: doing science has never been their goal. Their goal is to make biblical creationism appear scientific in order to skirt the constitutional ban on religion in public schools. Contrary to the film’s claims, the real dogmatists are not the defenders of Darwin, but the religiously motivated advocates of intelligent design.”

I normally wouldn’t be so cheerful about watching people’s hard work get smashed to pieces, but after all the lies that have come from them, I feel no displeasure about lying back and watching the flaming wreck. :)

I absolutely love the irony. The negative reviews that they were counting on all this time have blown up in their face. Instead of having poor scientific reviews to wear as an affirmation of their martyrdom for “academic freedom”, their movie goes on to get dumped on by everyone.

Ok, not to be too rude but who cares? First, the objectivists aren’t very politically influential at this point and haven’t been for a very long time. Second of all, objectivists have generally been pretty anti-ID and anti-creationism already so this isn’t at all surprising. The fact that the Ayn Rand Institute does not like the film is neither surprising nor relevant.

Mark, it is relevant because the point is that them coming out against the movie isn’t in any way really noteworthy. My comment was in part response to pjb and Venus in that the Ayn Rand Institute was expected to say something like this and no one pays attention to them anyways. The point is this isn’t one to gloat about.

I’d just like the add a generic comment to the effect that, if you’re going to try to imitate the other side in order to make them look bad, at least make it believable. For a reference point, Keith Eaton is borderline.

Keep talking, loons, because every year hundreds of thousands more kids than the year before are getting exposed to her ideas. ARI op-eds are appearing with increasing frequency in major newspapers. Their executive director now has columns in Forbes and a spot on the Fox Business Network. They are establishing a presence in D.C. this year to do analysis on the issues and advocate them on the political scene. You are about to see a major resurgence of Rand not only in the cultural mainstream, but in politics. Mark this post.

To the extent intelligent design advocates are facing obstacles in academia it is because they are not doing real science: they haven’t been ‘expelled’ they have flunked out of the scientific community, just as a faith healer would flunk out of medical school.

Gives me images of Benny Hinn running around whining about “Big Medicine.” Anyway, I’m glad to see ARI put out a press release about EXPELLED; how could anyone NOT speak out against this outrage?

One comment above might have suggested that there is room for theism in the Objectivist philosophy. Any such idea is completely wrong; there is nothing about Objectivism that’s theistic; it entirely atheist and very concerned about the rise of theocracy in the U.S. I like this recent video undercutting the 10 commandments at it’s base: Leonard Peififf pissed. 62seconds

Medieval Miller: “Oh yes he was, you boys. I went to install two-way mirrors in the royal bedchambers, and he came to the door in a dress.”

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Back OT:

I couldn’t give less of a fuck who such unpleasant cultists as Randians or Scientologists support, since this is NOT something that can be decided by popularity. Further, I assume their views are always distorted beyond any semblance of sincerity by their ghoulish goals.

Mark, it is relevant because the point is that them coming out against the movie isn’t in any way really noteworthy. My comment was in part response to pjb and Venus in that the Ayn Rand Institute was expected to say something like this and no one pays attention to them anyways. The point is this isn’t one to gloat about.

Whatever Joshua thinks; Actually reading and understanding the words of Dr. Lockitch one can’t help but realize that he goes straight to the point: The entire movie, the entire ID scam is a scam and nothing but a scam entirely devoid of scientific purpose, content or aim, and never was and never will be anything else.

In so few words, he expresses some down-to earth, common sense and spells out what is wrong with “Expelled” and the entire ID movement.
After so many years, wouldn’t it be about time for ID to make a little effort at engaging the scientific community in discussing the as yet missing theory of ID instead of making farting noises and derivatives like “Expelled”?

Mark, it is relevant because the point is that them coming out against the movie isn’t in any way really noteworthy. My comment was in part response to pjb and Venus in that the Ayn Rand Institute was expected to say something like this and no one pays attention to them anyways. The point is this isn’t one to gloat about.

Ah, here’s the deal. Maybe just a few thousand get the clue from them. But that’s a few thousand who don’t go on to become nutters, clogging our school boards with crap.

While I’m enjoying watching virtually everyone piling on here, come on: the Ayn Rand institute? Named after someone who made a South American copper baron and someone who blew up ships carrying material foreign aid into heroes? Their disconnect with reality is almost as severe as that within creationist circles. Heck, in their own way, they’re about as religious.

To hear Anybody joining in the fight against Creationism in public school science classes is welcome. Not that the Ayn Rand Institute is a scientific organization, but it does have quite a bit of political sway and should be appreciated for that quality.

To point out the obvious. Fundies have only been truly obnoxious since this administration came to Washington, and lots of money has gotten funneled through organizations like the Discovery Institute.